Born in London, UK, Hayley has dual citizenship of the UK and the US. An only child, Hayley was named after actress Hayley Mills. Her parents are both motivational speakers; they met at a London workshop of Dale Carnegie's self-help bible 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'. He was born in Missouri and is of part Native-American descent. Her parents divorced when she was age 2. Hayley grew up in the UK but spent summers in Missouri with her father. Hayley's mother introduced her to theater from a young age. At age 11, she worked with Ralph Fiennes when he played Hamlet. She would later work with him on THE DUCHESS. In 2006, Atwell worked on the popular BBC miniseries "The Line of Beauty." She's also worked with Woody Allen on CASSANDRA'S DREAM but gained her break-out role in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER in 2011.